Leaky lake project finally in full flow

Final restoration and landscaping work on Phase Two of the Pegswood Community Park is progressing on schedule, after agreement was reached late last year on how it was to be carried out.

Published:07:00Friday 14 March 2014

THE long-running saga of Pegswood’s leaky lake is finally drying up as environmental work moves forward.

The lake was created ten years ago as part of the restoration of Pegswood Moor opencast site, but failed to fill up to the expected level, putting other landscaping work on hold.

Various solutions were suggested and in October Banks Mining, which operated the mine between 1997 and 2005, outlined two options – leaving the lake as it is, with fencing and planting, or bringing in 200,000 tonnes of infill material over five years to make a smaller lake, with woodland, meadowland and a community benefit fund.

Pegswood, Longhirst and Hebron parish councils, along with Morpeth Town Council, opted to retain the lake as it is, and in December Banks began preparations to landscape the area with planting, footpaths, fencing and seeding.

The restoration team has made good progress on the scheme, which forms part of the Pegswood Community Park, and new paths are being laid around the top of the lake, existing boulders along the waterline are being re-positioned and a redundant outfall near the car park has been filled in. Seed sowing and planting will be carried out at seasonal times.

Banks Environment and Community Director Mark Dowdall said: “Having the agreement of the Pegswood community on how work at the Community Park was to be completed was very important to the success of the project and we’re very pleased to be completing the final touches to the restoration.

“The wet weather that the region has experienced over the winter has made ground conditions quite challenging, but work remains on schedule and we’ve been able to make good progress.

“Phase one of the park has been a real success and is very well used by local people, and we’re looking forward to being able to open phase two for everyone to enjoy.”